THE JEFF BECK BULLETIN ISSUE #22

March 2017 to Present

Photo courtesy

Editorial For Jeff Beck Bulletin Issue #22

Another first for me. This is first editorial of the post-Wyzanski era. Most of Dick's previous editorials of course were about Jeff's career and what direction it was taking. Dick would sometimes go into these detailed discertaions of what Jeff
was doing and maybe what he should do. To me it was simple. He was simply forging ahead trying not to repeat himself. This is something Jeff did brilliantly with his latest collaboration with Rosie Bones and Carmen Vandenberg on the 'Loud Hailer' release. And even when he's playing a song on tour that he's played for decades you can hear little differences, different phrasings that further and further refine the song and all have that 'how the f**k did he do that?' component.

For this editorial I would like to address an aspect of Jeff's career that affects him as well as all of us...aging. I don't think anyone can argue that Jeff has aged well, physically and career-wise.

Compared to many of his generation and mine he's entering his mid 70's still able to do grueling tour schedules, create great music in the studio for himself and others and work on his house and cars.

As for the other members of the 'triumverate', we were recently sad to hear that Eric Clapton might not be touring anymore due to back problems. Page is doing well these days after some back problems a while ago but if you ask me, even though he's a multi-millionaire, career-wise he's got to come out with some new stuff and not just another Led Zeppelin remaster. I know he's got it in him. Jeff on the other hand is making fresh, new music with musicians we've almost never heard of until a recording comes out. He also tours with them, bringing them onboard and mentoring them.

Jeff has been a vegetarian since 1969. We know he drinks but only in moderation, a beer, but mostly wine and sparkling wines, champagne and prosecco. His greatest health risks seem to be cars, driving them and working on them.

This brings us around to Dick Wyzanski. His widow Trini and son Rich and I have had some conversations and we hope they can possibly help someone somewhere.

Dick did not take aging well at all. As he aged he saw himself gain weight, slow down, like we all do. In his younger years he exercised a lot, even got into body building for a while. In his later years he never drank and had a pretty good diet.

Dick however thought he could beat aging. He got into this 'life extention' movement which is based mainly on 'supplements'. Down here in Florida we have these ads on the radio. 'Low T?' come on in and we'll test you. Testosterone shots, HGH shots, they'll make you lose weight, you'll feel young again, you're sex life will improve etc. Dick bought into all of it. That and the supplements. After every meal he took, I swear, 20 to 25 pills. I would say, "What are all those? What do they do?" After the 5th pill I would say, "Really?". Every month he spent an amount of money on pills you wouldn't believe. Whenever a new supplement hit the store, the store would email him and he would rush down to purchase it.

Now there's no doctor, no computer program that possibly analyze how that many pills, that many chemicals, could possibly interact which each other and the metabolism of your own body. On top of hormone injections? Do I sound angry? I am.

Dick died of cancer. Do I know for sure if all this stuff caused it? No. No one can say for sure but it sure seems really suspicious to me.

I myself have some health issues but they're pretty minor. Because of them I see a doctor every 6 months for blood work. Once a year a full physical, blood, urine, ekg. Colonoscopies every 3 to 5 years, dermatologist for skin checks, quite a few lately. Did Dick do all this stuff? Nope. I would bug him, "Dick, you go to your general practioner regularly right?" He would say, "No, doctors are just middlemen between you and your insurance company." "WTF?". If he had his bladder cancer would have been caught a long time ago.

Sorry for the venting but I had to do it. Please for the people you love and the people who love you be smart about your health. Embrace your aging gracefully and hopefully you'll be around to listen to Jeff Beck for years to come.